A Time to Grieve and a Time to Fight
by Moon Ecstasy
Summary: George knows that there is a time for everything. But sometimes emotions are hard to overcome, even when he knows that now is not the time to give in to them. T for character death and cussing. Follows canon!


I finally did it... I finally decided to post this... depressing thing... I still deny that Fred died... IT DIDN'T HAPPEN! This is only me going 'what if?' NOTHING MORE!!

Ira-na: *cough* denial *cough*

Moon Ecstasy: Yes I live beside the Nile. It's a very nice location, but what does that have to do with this?

...

I changed the title again...

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A Time to Grieve and a Time to Fight

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_All say, "How hard it is that we have to die" ‑ a strange complaint to come from the mouths of people who have to live. ‑ Mark Twain_

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He felt panicked for some reason as he shot out spell after spell, curses, hexes, jinxes, blocks. His mind was no longer really thinking about what he was doing, just that: see a silver mask = aim the wand and shoot. And he was still feeling panicked.

_Moron!_ The voice sounded suspiciously like Snape for some reason which was enough to send chills down his spine. _Of course you're panicked. EVERYONE is panicked!_

He sent another death eater flying and grinned madly, "Eat Death you stupid death eaters!" he cackled maniacally only to duck as a green jet of light narrowly missed him. Ooops, better pay more attention.

When the high, nasally, cruel voice reverberated through the air he nearly jumped out of his skin. Was that Voldemort's voice? Why hadn't Harry ever told them? It was hilarious in a creepy oh-my-god-he's-gonna-kill-us-all kinda way. Still, hard to take the big-bad seriously when his voice was nasally.

_Wonder if it's a sore point from him? _He thought as he jumped in front of a younger student that had been blown back by an attack, blocking the curse that would have killed the kid.

"You have fought, valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery." Oh great he spoke in third person, he couldn't help but chuckle over it as he helped the kid up, barely registering that she was a Slytherin till she muttered thanks, while muttering about Gryffindor's being good for at least one thing.

"Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood is a lost and a waste." He rolled his eyes

"Flare for dramatics, our dark lord Voldy has, doesn't he." he quipped as he sent a bat-boogy hex at a Death Eater. The Slytherin girl looked at him askance as she blocked another curse and sent one right back.

"Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat, immediately." And they did. All the Death Eaters began to back away still shooting curses and blocking those that came their way. _What's the catch?_

"You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured." He sighed in relief but tensed again when his-dark-nasally-ness continued blaming all the deaths on Harry and demanding that in one hour Harry meet with him in the Forbidden Forest in exchange for everyone else's lives.

"He'd be a bloody fool to go." muttered the Slytherin girl beside him as she pushed her glasses up, "but then again Harry Potter is well known for being a moronically, brave Gryffindor." She didn't sneer it as most Slytherin's would, she stated it as a fact of life.

"We simply won't let him." He retorted anyway.

The girl finally looked closely at him. "You're one of those Weasley twins aren't you?" she said, "Friends of Potter's, right?"

"Yeah, you're a Slytherin right? Didn't expect to see any of you here except behind a mask." he snarked at her from pure reflex as they headed toward the Great Hall following the stream of injured warriors.

She snorted at that, frowning deeply as she reached into a pocket and pulled out an elastic-band. Using it to pull her hair out of her face she sent him a glare though the brown strands that still hung loose.

"Didn't anyone listen to the sorting hat two years back and last year... AND this year? Basically different versions of 'Stand together, because divided we will fall', 'House unity', blah, blah, blah." Stopping she knelt to check the pulse of a younger student. She bit her lip and got back up, "That also means the Slytherin's. We all need to stand together as fellow students. It's stupid to let petty arguments, quidditch games, and house points escalates to such a burning hate that we are willing to kill each other."

George just widened his eyes at this... and all coming from a Slytherin? "I'm Fred Weasley, you?"

"Astoria Greengrass," once more they stopped at a prone body. It was Madam Hooch and Astoria hesitated before checking her pulse. She sighed in relief when she felt a pulse. "Thank Merlin. I really like Madam Hooch." she said as George help her lift the unconscious teacher up. Between the two of them they carried her down the nearly crumbled steps leading to the Great Hall.

George was feeling antsy, wanting to find out how the others were doing. Mum and dad, Charlie, Ron, Bill, Harry, Lee, Hermione and even the newly forgiven Percy. Especially Fred. He really wanted to see Fred... it was almost a physical ache to see his twin and reassure himself.

Madam Hooch groaned, "Looks like she's coming to," said Astoria, "Hey Madam Hooch, are you going to be okay?" The woman just groaned again, obviously in no shape to understand what was happening.

"Hoochy Dear did you get hit with a bludger?" asked George cheerily, figuring she wouldn't hear or care that he called her Hoochy Dear. She did however and she replied by cursing at him in a guttural voice.

His laughter however trailed off at what he saw across the entrance hall. _No._ Astoria grunted under the sudden weight as he let go of Madam Hooch and began striding down the stairs and across the hall, "Hey!" she cried but he ignored her, eyes locked on the figure coming towards him. _No, no, no, no, NO! _

Percy was stumbling towards him, tears leaving smeared trails down his dirt blackened face. He was staggering under the weight of the body he carried in his arms.

_No, no, no, no, no, no, _"no, no, no, no, NO, NO, NO, NO!!" His hand shook horribly as he tried to rip the body from his brothers arms, still screaming his denial, eyes wide and wild. His knees gave out and he dragged both his brother and the unresponsive body to the floor finally managing to tear him from Percy's arms and cradle him in his own. Fred didn't open his eyes, he didn't respond.

"NO! Damn you Fred wake up! Wake up! This is a bloody awful joke Fred. Snap out of it, wake up Fred, wake up! Damn you, you bastard wake up! WAKE UP!" He shook Fred desperately, ignoring the crying Percy trying to calm him, begging him to stop, ignoring the rock in his throat that spoke of a grief that he denied, a grief that he would not recognize.

"He's dead, George, let him go, he's dead." This was Bill beside him... no it wasn't true!

"NO! WAKE UP FRED YOU BLOODY BASTARD! WAKE UP!" he was angry, that was it... he was angry at this sick joke Fred was playing on him.

Arms wrapped around him from behind and Bill spoke calmly in his ear as he lifted George away from his twin. "He's dead George, Fred will not wake up... he's not so cruel as to play this kind of joke."

_IT'S NOT TRUE!_

"There's nothing you can do George." This from Percy in front of him, his face contorted in an emotion that George had never seen on his normally perfect, prefect brother.

_IT'S NOT TRUE!_

"George, calm down, you have to calm down," this from his father who had come to stand beside Percy.

_IT'S NOT TRUE!_

"George please." Ginny, cradling Fred's head to her chest, she looked horrified to see one brother dead, more horrified still to see the other going berserk in Bill's arms.

_It's not true._

"George." His mother came to stand in front of him and he ceased his frantic struggles.

_... not true..._

She wrapped him in a hug that threatened something inside him. Behind her Percy once more lifted the prone body of Fred and continued to the Great Hall, the other Weasley's following behind. She finally stepped back and meet her son's empty eyes, her own spilling over with tears.

She led him to the Great Hall where Fred had been laid out the floor. She broke down sobbing and knelt down clutching Fred robes, her husband came to stand behind her caressing her shoulders and stroking her hair.

Stonily George walked to the cot and knelt down at his twins head. He stared a moment before bending over, face hovering over the one identical and unresponsive, breath warming the cold skin, hands settling gently on his shoulders, ignoring the lack of pulse.

_... not true... _

His breath hitched. He heard Ron come up and Percy drag the youngest brother into his arms. He heard Hermione whispering to Ginny. He heard his mothers whispered pleas to god, to any god to give her back her son.

...not...

Something wet slid down his cheek and without moving his head he wiped it away, expecting blood from an unnoticed cut. It was clear though. More wetness trailed down his cheeks and the face in front of him became blurry.

"Please Fred," he whispered, "please don't leave me, please..." and he began to cry. His wailing echoed through the hall breaking the silence that had been impregnating it since Voldemort's message had finished.

"Please don't leave me alone." He screamed brokenly, unintelligibly. He didn't even notice the sudden warmth at his back when his mother held him from behind. He was torn, he was half a person, he was incomplete. The entire family touched him in some way from behind, a hand on the shoulder, another stroking his hair, his father hugging him from opposite his mother. Words of meaningless comfort.

All he saw was his own face in front of him as he lost himself.

-

To say Astoria was a little shocked to see one of Hogwart famed prankster duo break down like that would be a bit of an understatement. Not that it wasn't understandable. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose a twin. It would be decidedly odd to see yourself dead.

Grunting under Mdm. Hooch's weight Astoria began to descend the stairs, keeping a calm outlook when she was inwardly cringing at George's wailing. "It's not like he's the only one to lose someone close." She muttered under her breath.

"Yeah but there's close... and then there's close," said a voice from the other side of Mdm. Hooch, who had slipped into unconsciousness again, "and I think losing a twin brother might constitute as earth shattering..."

Astoria sent a baneful glare at the girl who was now helping her carry Hooch down the steps. Greyish blue eyes met Astoria's golden brown and the glare softened. "I'm glad you're alive. I was worried when we got split up."

"Sorry..." said the girl, pushing short green hair out of her face.

"You gonna keep apologizing for your life Jones?"

"Yes... no... I am bloody well not sorry. Worried about me! Ha! I love making people worry! And I was worried about you too, you wanker."

Astoria snorted, "I know you were. Stands to reason."

"Sor... ghah." Megan Jones looked pissed, "I will never apologize again!"

"Yeah, sure."

The two girls managed to get Hooch onto a cot and started checking for any life-threatening injuries. After awhile they were waved away by Mdm. Pomphry. "Go on girls, see if you can find any others that..." She didn't finish her sentence.

The two girls looked over to the area where the dead were still being laid out. "So many." whispered Megan, "Oh my god, is that Professor Lupin?" Her brow knitted in what Astoria could only ascribe to sorrow.

"You're too soft. This is a war. People die." she grumbled as she grabbed her friend and tugged her along heading for a lone figure in the sea of dead.

"Are you about to do what I think you're going to do?" Megan asked nervously, biting her lower lip.

"This is war, we can mourn the dead after it is over, besides; the hour is almost up." Megan looked at Astoria's all-purpose watch and saw that indeed it had been over 50 minutes already.

"Why does time go fast when you want it to slow down?" She muttered to herself.

"Father Time is a Slytherin."

"Spiteful you mean?"

"Whatever." And with that they pulled up next to George Weasley. He was sitting crouched over his twins head, not moving a muscle. He gave no indication that he had heard them approach. Rather, Megan thought, he looked tense enough to rip them in two if they said one thing wrong.

"Get up," Astoria said with the blank face Megan had once said resembled Professor Snape's. Astoria's response to that had been to say that the man was her head of house. She had to have learned more from him than potions in the seven years she had been in his house. George didn't respond.

"What? Has the loss of one ear made you that hard of hearing?" Megan winced at the tone Astoria was using. Never let it be said that Astoria Greengrass wasn't a Slytherin to the bone. She knew how to get a reaction.

Fred twitched before jerking to his feet, wand at Astoria's jugular, face set in an animalistic mask of rage. "Can you not tell when someone wants to be left the bloody hell alone!" He screamed in her face. To her credit she didn't even flinch, though she did reach a hand up to wipe a fleck of spittle off her cheek.

"Can you not tell that we're in the middle of a battle?" She gave him the look that Megan dreaded, the look that said, 'you're being an idiot,' only with ten times more disdain than normal, "we don't have time to mourn yet. We need to prepare ourselves for the next wave."

George sneered and it looked strange on his face, accenting his empty eyes. "I don't give a hippogriffs arse... I don't..."

"You're sad and angry. Channel it. Use it against the Death Eater's to fight the battle that you're brother die-"

"Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" George screamed, stumbling backwards and clutching his head as he shook it back and forth; as if trying to dislodge voices from his head. He tripped and fell backwards onto his rump, then curled into himself.

Megan exchanged a worried look with Astoria before carefully moving towards the trembling figure and putting a hand on his shoulder. He tried to twist out of it, but she held on firmly; Hufflepuff's never gave ground when they were set on something.

"What would your brother be doing right now if he was alive?" She asked, gripping his shoulder harder when he flinched and stared at her, wide-eyed.

For a moment the three stayed frozen in that tableau. George huddled on the floor gripping his head, Megan with a firm hand on his shoulder, their gazes locked, and Astoria watching carefully at the side.

Then George breathed in deeply and stood up. Megan let her hand fall to her side as George rubbed his face with a hand and stared at his brother's prone body. Then gripping his wand he brushed past them, towards the door.

The girls followed in silence.

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_Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it. ~ Talmud

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Please review and tell me your thoughts.


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